GOT RACISM? GOT BIGOTRY

RACISM; It's not just for whites anymore. More in a moment.


You would think that the only people who are racists and bigots are white people. Every time I hear the word racism in the news it seems to be directed from blacks to whites, from Hispanics to whites, from Asians to whites, etc. When Bill Clinton brought up the idea of Barack Obama playing the race card against Hillery, I know I heard a huge gasp as if to say that blacks are not racists, and how could he even think such a thing. Wake up America! Racism is not just a white issue.

I have literally been around the world, I have walked on five continents, and I have seen racism and bigotry direct at me, I have seen black on black, he or she is not "black" enough, white on white; he or she is not "white" enough. "Oh they're Italian" or "well what do you expect they're Jewish." It is everywhere, and directed at everyone. No, this does not make it right. it, but it is a fact, and it has always been.

I remember an old Star Trek episode, "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield" 1969. The late Frank Gorshin played the half white faced and half black faced police commissioner Bele, he had been hunting another half black faced, half white faced, Lokai for 500 centuries. However, one was black on the right side and was was black on the left side. and they were fighting to the death over that difference. Now I know it was to illustrate how absurd and trite it was but the fact remained that their hatred and fear of each others differences destroyed their entire civilization. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_That_Be_Your_Last_Battlefield

Many say that racism and bigotry stem from ignorance. I know many well educated people that are racist and bigots, and they are all colors and creeds. What I have leaned from my 50 plus years of observation is this; you look different then me, you think different then me, I fear that difference. As long as we do not understand those differences there will be racism and bigotry. And our current form of entertainment; movies, T.V. and video games, does nothing to show us any thing different, and in fact may exacerbate it.

So who is the racist, who is the bigot?

"Yeah, I love being famous. It's almost like being white, y'know?"

Chris Rock